A water heater may be subject to deterioration over the course of its life. Such deterioration may compromise the integrity of the water heater and may cause water that is stored in a storage tank assembly of the water heater to leak. For example, the water may leak from the storage tank assembly of the water heater onto a drain pan on which the water heater is disposed. In another example, the water may leak from fittings or couplings of the water heater onto an outer jacket surrounding the storage tank assembly of the water heater. In yet another example, the water may leak from the storage tank assembly into a cavity in between the storage tank assembly and the outer jacket of the water heater. In the latter example, the water that collects in the cavity may escape to an external surface of the water heater's outer jacket. The water that leaks from the water heater may eventually pool at the base of the water heater. If left undetected and unattended, such leaks may result in incidental damage to furniture, electrical equipment, the water heater itself, and/or other property, which in turn may result in costly repairs.
Existing water heaters may include a leak sensor that is configured to detect a leak condition, i.e., a water leak from the water heater. However, the leak sensor is typically provided as a separate accessory that a person must manually install on site. If the person fails to install the leak sensor or installs the leak sensor incorrectly, the leak sensing capability of the water heater is negated. Further, existing water heaters are typically disposed on a drain pan that is configured to collect the water that leaks from the water heaters. Once a substantial amount of water is collected or pools in the drain pan, the leak sensor that is disposed on one side of the drain pan, e.g., adjacent a front side of the water heater, may detect a leak condition. Since the leak sensor is disposed on one side or only a portion of the water heater, a leak that begins at an opposite side or any other side may not be detected, until a sufficient amount of water leaks and pools in the drain pan to reach the leak sensor. That is, leak detection systems in existing water heaters are slow and inefficient. A leak sensor that extends circumferentially around a water heater can be used to quickly detect leaks that originate anywhere around the water heater. However, such leak sensors may be expensive and therefore, said solution may not be cost effective. Furthermore, existing water heaters that are disposed on drain pans may require a larger space for installation since the drain pan is typically wider than the circumference of the water heater. However, such larger spaces for installation may not always be available.
Some water heaters can be directly disposed on the floor, as opposed to on a drain pan. However, said water heaters do not include a mechanism to direct the leaking water towards the leak sensor in the absence of the drain pan that traps water in an immediate vicinity of the water heater. Further, if the water heater is disposed on a surface having a gradient, the water pooling at the base of the water heater may flow away from the water heater (and from the leak sensor), which in turn may result in a failure to detect the leak condition, unless one or more leak sensors are disposed circumferentially around the entire water heater to detect a leak from any direction. As described above, the use of multiple leak sensors or a leak sensor that can circumferentially extend around the water heater may be cost prohibitive.
In light of the above mentioned shortcomings of the conventional water heaters, there is a need for an improved leak detection system in water heaters. Further, this background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present disclosure. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present disclosure.